This invention relates to content delivery on a network.
Web page content delivered from Internet service providers (ISPs) through the Internet to web browsers running on client devices is often optimized for a 28.8 kbps communication channel. The client devices are assumed to be generic PCs with 28.8 kbps modems. This relatively low-bandwidth delivery format reduces backbone traffic between the suppliers of the content and the ISPs, thus reducing costs for the ISPs.
Hand-held and other devices that have different capabilities and use different bandwidth channels than generic PCs are beginning to be used as web clients.
Delivery of content from a server to a client can be made faster and more effective by storing content in proxy caching clients. A proxy caching client is shared by multiple clients and services client requests from its cache whenever that is possible.
To provide an effective way to deliver higher-bandwidth content to some users and lower-high bandwidth to other users, several different versions of a content element are stored for delivery from a server to a content recipient in a network. In response to a request for the content from the recipient, one of the versions is selected and delivered to the recipient based on bandwidth capabilities of the recipient.
The varied needs of different content providers and users are accommodated. Broadband content can be offered conveniently by content providers and received by broadband users, which enhances the user""s experience. The delivery of broadband content is done deterministically. The content provider can update the content easily.
Other advantages and features will become apparent from the following description and from the claims.